What's so bad about the show continuing a long time?

[SolyWack 482]

I've been thinking, and an... Amount of bronies (I can't come up with one of my sweet statistics) say that the show should end strong, such as after the movie in 2017.

 

That's all good and stuff... Yep, just it ending, and not continuing...

 

Truth be told, I just think that's a terrible idea. Now you can go all George Lucas on me, and tell me to kiss your *censored*

 

Or you can hear me out.

 

If mlp was just an amazing show, then I would agree with you. Shows are so much better if you remember only the good times when looking back, not the lackluster post-shark-jump moments

 

But mlp isn't just an amazing show. It's an amzing show WITH a fandom. A fandom fueled by the show. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed, but the fandom slows down during hiatuses. Right now it's negligible, because people know it will be back.

 

But what about when it's not? It will be like a permanent hiatus. Fandom activity will slow down more and more, but this time, it WONT be reset by a new season.

 

Many of those "hibernators" during hiatusus will not return. I have no doubt it would live on for a long while. But no where near the efficiency or capacity as when the show was still airing.

 

Even if the episodes become [unlikely] not as good, they will exist, fueling the fandom, the reason some like mlp, and the for some, the ONLY reason they stay at all.

 

Just look at the Simpsons. A lot of people think it's garbage now. I can't vouch for the quality, but it still has a HUGE following, even though some people say it's past its mark.

 

So I think the show should go on as long as humanly possible. The people who get bored can leave on their own accord (ryhme), but the [many] people who still like the show + the people in it for the fandom will stay.

 

Does the show really need to end for you to have fond memories in the future? Even if it has a Mass Effect 3 ending, it's the journey that counts. No?

Edited January 27, 2016 by AppleJack_Wack

[Malinter 3,064]

It will eventually end. The Voice actors are human beings, the people who animate the show are human beings. They will want to advance their skills and talents on other projects eventually. Plus If hasbro plans for a gen 5 they'd need a very lengthy haitus to decide in what direction the show would go.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Malinter

[Castle Bleck 19,334]

Ending a good thing for something else isn't always a positive, though.

 

Just look at Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!, for (a glaring) example.

[NullAccount 287]

I certainly hope that the show doesn't end soon, but we all know it will end eventually. I would prefer it to go on rather than to stop, because as long as the show continues the fans will create new content. However, when the show does end there will be nothing to keep the fans going.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,373]

The fandom will definitely slow down after the show ends, that is for certain, but I think that this fandom is so strong that it will be like Star Trek or Star Wars, the fandom will live on looooooong after the show has ended. As such merchandise will still continue, fan fictions, videos, songs, art, all of that will keep going for many, many years. That is why I would prefer the show ending on a strong note rather than it being needlessly dragged out, unless they can continue the story in a different way that doesn't drag it out, then I will be all for that. I still would love the show to continue, but only if the quality and tone stays with it. 

[Gestum 2,493]

Because the show will lose its quality and become shit after a while.

[Jaxsie (Inactive) 1,343]

Because the show will lose its quality and become shit after a while.

 

Case in point, Spongebob.

[El Duderino 879]

Shows don't always loose that much quality just because they go on for a long time. Dr Who has been going on for 50+ years, and it is still going strong. Or the Simpsons, like you mentioned. The Simpsons are admit-ably not AS good as it was, but I still enjoy the new episodes. South Park has been on for 19 seasons, and it is still a great show. Shows don't always loose quality when they go too long. Besides, MLP has only been on the air for 5 seasons. That is not a long time for a show. Shows that do loose quality because they go on for too long do so after 10 or 15 seasons, not 7 (will it be 7 when the movie comes out?).

Edited January 28, 2016 by El Duderino

[SteveMorison 404]

- Spongebob

- Simpsons

- Family Guy

 

No the show should end after a period of time

Shows don't always loose that much quality just because they go on for a long time. Dr Who has been going on for 50+ years, and it is still going strong. Or the Simpsons, like you mentioned. The Simpsons are admit-ably not AS good as it was, but I still enjoy the new episodes. South Park has been on for 19 seasons, and it is still a great show. Shows don't always loose quality when they go too long. Besides, MLP has only been on the air for 5 seasons. That is not a long time for a show. Shows that do loose quality because they go on for too long do so after 10 or 15 seasons, not 7 (will it be 7 when the movie comes out?).

In reality a show normally does well to extend past 4 seasons.

[cmarston1 5,959]

Because there is just only so much the writers are able to do with this show and after a while they will run out of ideas.

Seeing how this show was originally going to end after Magical Mystery Cure which was the 65th episode and how most cartoons aimed at a similar demographic to MLP FIM at max get three seasons, the fact that the show gets 6 seasons and a theatrical movie is insane.  Heck some really good cartoons didn't even get a second season, let alone 6.

So even if the show ends with the movie that is still 7 years worth of content.

Also the writers and show staff will eventually want to move on and go to different career paths, like AMKR going to write for Disney.

Even if the show continues after the movie, that doesn't mean the same people who made the show good in the first place will still be there.

And when the crew want to leave and move on from working on a show, I think it is best for the show to wrap itself up. 

[El Duderino 879]

- Spongebob

- Simpsons

- Family Guy

 

No the show should end after a period of time

In reality a show normally does well to extend past 4 seasons.

4 seasons? What shows do you watch? Most shows I love go past 4 seasons without going downhill.

Depends on the show. I am not saying MLP won't jump the shark, it probably will, just don't assume it will after only 5 seasons

Edited January 28, 2016 by El Duderino

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Seasonal Rot is such a common issue in Western animation it has its own index on TV Tropes, and most fans are so aware of the recent instances that they want MLP to stand out and preserve itself by knowing when to bow out before it gets drawn out too long. Even though there are fans that stick with a show as it declines in quality, there are a fair number that turn against the show as well, and considering how intense dramas in this fandom can get, I can understand why most bronies don't want to see that.

 

Even though fandom activity will go down for sure, it's obviously going to be strong enough to outlive the show. I've discovered a few small fandoms for cartoons that have resurged on the Internet about one to three decades after a show ended or a movie premiered. In this manner, I found a few nice shows from the 80s and 90s that I would not have found otherwise growing up with cable TV in the 2000s.

 

In all truth, I'd like to see it end on time because it keeps the talent flowing and new shows coming in. The most important thing about this show, to me, is the potential to inspire something bigger and better down the road, and that can't happen unless there's room for the next big thing to come up.

[Rawzy 1,302]

The fandom will definitely slow down after the show ends, that is for certain, but I think that this fandom is so strong that it will be like Star Trek or Star Wars, the fandom will live on looooooong after the show has ended.

And then in about 30 years time Hasbro will release another MLP movie bringing back all of us oldies back to the fandom xD 

 

Just like Star Wars :3 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,373]

And then in about 30 years time Hasbro will release another MLP movie bringing back all of us oldies back to the fandom xD 

 

Just like Star Wars :3 

Yes! It shall be a glorious reboot of the franchise, starring all of the same characters but 30 years older.

 

My Little Pony: The Friendship Awakens.

[Castle Bleck 19,334]

Yes! It shall be a glorious reboot of the franchise, starring all of the same characters but 30 years older.

 

My Little Pony: The Friendship Awakens.

 

And Discord will end up killed by his and Fluttershy's horribly misguided son.

[Megas 27,586]

There are a few shows that manage to maintain quality throughout its lifespan(like King of the Hill or South Park) but those are far few in between. People would rather end the show when it's good rather than go through the high chance of a bad seasonal rot

[Steve Piranha 29,419]

/in my pinion, FiM is a rare case of going on so long and keep it fresh, but there's no doubt that it won't last forever. I prefer it to end on a good note a thousand times rather than see it slowly destroying itself. I have yet to see it declining overall, but I think one or two more seasons after the movie is as far as it should get 

[Castle Bleck 19,334]

but I think one or two more seasons after the movie is as far as it should get 

 

I suppose I could live with that.

[Alphys Hedge 671]

Some shows are good when running on for a long time, (I personally like SpongeBob, never gets old to me ^.^) but most don't. Here's an example:

(MLP Season 7)

Oh, another season. Cool!

(MLP Season 8)

Huh, looks like they're going to keep it going.

(MLP Season 9)
Christ, 9 seasons?

(MLP Season 10)

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE IT STOP

 

Eventually they'll run out of ideas. It's just inevitable.

[baba_booey 4,302]

As others have said, it's because after a while, it'll most likely go through seasonal rot and end up like, say, Spongebob, Family Guy, The Simpsons, Thomas and Friends, etc.

 

Even though I'd be pretty sad when it ends, I still feel like it should be cancelled after at least Season 7 unless they somehow manage to come up with fresh ideas for a while afterwards.

[PrymeStriker 408]

The fans don't matter.
 
...
 
...
 
Okay, well, the fans matter, but the fans shouldn't control the direction of the series.  On an artistic level, shows should tell their story and move on. It should subsequently be praised of its strengths, not for its longevity. I'll bring Avatar: The Last Airbender as an example. Three seasons and it was quits. The creators wouldn't let the industry 'nor the fandom decide whether they keep up the story. They had an idea, they mapped said idea out, they produced the idea, and they finished that idea. What became of that show? The fandom ran strong regardless, and it spawned a spin-off.
 
The great thing about spin-offs is you can disregard them if you so please. You can point someone to watch ATLA, and they can enjoy the series in its entirety, and then chose not to continue watching the spin-off. That way, you get a sense of completeness after finishing the series. You can't say the same after just deciding to give up on a show after it's jumped the shark, because there's no finality to it, and you're more bitter with the series than happy with it.
 
Take Docto-
 

Shows don't always loose that much quality just because they go on for a long time. Dr Who has been going on for 50+ years, and it is still going strong.

...
 
:okiedokielokie:
 
Take DOCTOR WHO for example. So many fans, including myself, have become incredibly bored with the direction of the series and have stopped watching it. When I was watching Series 1-5, I would rave and obsess over the goddamned thing. Doctor Who was one of the best series I'd ever seen. Then I got around to Series 6, and I was disappointed. Then Series 7 bored me. Then Series 8 tested my patience. Then Series 9 lost my interest. You see what I mean? I don't feel complete having watched Doctor Who, because I know it's still going, and I know I probably won't be alerted, bothered, or even alive when the "finale" comes.

 

So, I don't recommend Doctor Who to anyone anymore. I've stopped buying the merchandise, and I haven't even bothered to acknowledge it as one of my favorite shows anymore. That's the effect of a rotting series. It may have been incredible for a period of time, but the longer it goes on, and the more bullshit that piles up, what's the point in praising it anymore? The bad outweighs the good, and it doesn't become an overall pleasurable experience anymore.

 

And, just for El Duderino's information, Doctor Who hasn't been on a non-stop 50-year run. There was an original series that ran from 1963-1989 (IIRC), and then there was a reboot in 2005. The original series went through seasonal rot in and of itself, meaning Doctor Who went rotted TWICE.

 

Anyways, my point is, the fans that leave because a show has ended, or because it's not "popular" anymore, weren't as hard-pressed into the series as you might assume. Some might say they're not "real" fans. Rather, the "real" fans will stick around long after the show's over. That's the bottom line.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

It's very hard to keep a show fresh for so long. The only instance where I've seen this work are with South Park and maybe King of the Hill. Usually what happens when a show goes on for too long is that it either becomes like The Simpsons, steaming with unoriginal ideas that lack the heart and soul of the early seasons and is just a zombie of what it once was, or it ends up like Family Guy, full of desperate ratings grabs to keep the show relevant.

 

So basically, people don't want MLP to be like that.

[El Duderino 879]

Take DOCTOR WHO for example. So many fans, including myself, have become incredibly bored with the direction of the series and have stopped watching it. When I was watching Series 1-5, I would rave and obsess over the goddamned thing. Doctor Who was one of the best series I'd ever seen. Then I got around to Series 6, and I was disappointed. Then Series 7 bored me. Then Series 8 tested my patience. Then Series 9 lost my interest. You see what I mean? I don't feel complete having watched Doctor Who, because I know it's still going, and I know I probably won't be alerted, bothered, or even alive when the "finale" comes.

I understand where you are coming from, but there are equally as many fans who would completely disagree with you. I thought season 8 was good, and season 9 was even better. I know I am not alone in thinking this. People like different things. Some people will be happy with the direction a show takes, and some won't.

 

My point in my original post is more that we can't assume that MLP will jump the shark just because it didn't end after a few seasons. Some shows do, some don't.

 

The reality is that MLP is a childrens show. Most likely, it will either be canceled abruptly with a crappy ending because Hasbro decided it doesn't make enough money anymore, or it will slowly die like many cartoons do. I don't think the fandom will be happy with the ending no matter what happens. Shows like this are not the same as an adult drama. It will not go out Breaking Bad style.  There likely will be no big bang ending. It's just not the in the nature of this type of show. In the end, the fate of MLP depends on how popular it is with CHILDREN, not bronies. 

 

Let's hope I'm wrong about this.

Edited January 28, 2016 by El Duderino

[Odyssey 5,716]

As many other people pointed out, the reason many people feel so strongly about the show ending is because there's a likely chance there the quality of the series will decline. A lot of people say that MLP:FiM will keep the same writers for many years, but that's not true. Many shows like Spongebob and The Simpsons previously had awesome writers, but they had to leave the show because of disinterest/getting fired/personal stuff is getting the better of them. Not to mention that G4 is planned to end around the early 2020s.

 

And I hate to be blunt, but there's more to life than MLP:FiM. I mean, the thought of it still continuing is interesting, but no matter how much people want for it to continue, it will end eventually. I'd rather see the show end so I can find some better hobbies and interests, anyway.

[Johnny1226 14,674]

I Hope the show goes on eternally there are an infinite amount of story's that could be told and directions it can take it just needs the right people in charge fanatical bronies who will find a way